Centrifugal ore-concentrator.



No. 757,699. PATENTED APR. 119, 1904.

' E. R. WEEK. .n GENTRIIUGAL ORB GONGENTRATQR.

APPLIGATIO-H 00T. 22, 1903.

H0 MODEL.

lm/Emlmr ML ms rn'cns cu.; ma'rourno. wwwa A vUNI-rsi) STATEs atented April 19, 1904.l i

PATENT FFICE.

EDMUND R. WEEK, OF SPOKANE, WASHINGTON.

OENTRIFUGAL ORE-CONCENTRATOB.

SPECIFICATION forming par; pf Letters Patent No. 757,699, darednprii 19, 1904.

Application'nea october 22, 1903.

To al?, whom, t may con/cern:

Be it known that I, EDMUND R. W'EEK, a citizen of the United States, residing atSpokane, in the county of Spokane and State of Washington, have invented new and useful Improvements in Centrifugal Ore-Concentrators, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to centrifugal ore concentrators and amalgamators.

With the present methods of milling gold and other .precious metal bearing ores a large part of the gold and concentrates is carried of or entrained in a very finely divided state in approximately clear water, and large losses are thereby sustained.

The object of the present invention is the provision of an improved centrifugal concentrator and amalgamator adapted to treat the water containing these entrained iinely-divided particles of gold and other precious metals and reclaim them; and with this end in view the invention consists of a centrifugal concentrator and amalgamator of improved constructionv adapted to extract the line particles of gold and other precious metal in ak novel manner, which is of simple and inexpensive construction and durable and reliable inaction.

The invention embraces those improved features and novel combinations of elements set forth in detail hereinafter and recited in the appended claims. x

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical section of the machine, taken on line 1 1 of Fig. 3, showing one of the blades in dotted lines and one in section; Fig. 2, a crosssection on line 2 Q- of Fig. 1, and Fig.- 3 a cross-section on line 3 3 of Fig. 1.

The machine has a base 1, of circular shape, provided with an annular trough or recess 2., adapted to contain mercury 3, (shown by a dotted line in Fig. 1 depending centrally from the base in a hub 4., having discharge ports or passages 5. A cone 6, hav-ing an inlet-opening 7, is screwed to the base at 8, and a shoulder 9 is provided to form a proper seat for the cone. 1Within the outer cone 6 is another cone 10, which has blades 11. Any number of these blades may be employed. The inner cone is preferably connected to the outer cone serrano. name2. (nomaden any suitable drivingmean`s,and it has a cone 14E, seated on balls 15 in a suitable support 16.

A suitable rbox orfhopperl is :secured to the support 16 andvfit's suiuciently tight around the hub 4 so thatft'hefwater passing down through vthe opening .will 'enter'said box 17 and be prevented #from splashing and will then pass outthroughjthe opening 18 in the bottom of the box.- Y

In operation the shaftlQfis revolved at, say, one thousand revolutions or upward per minute` and the cones .6a`nd10 turn with said shaft, the ball-bearings 14 15 minimizing friction and rendering'the operation easy.y The Water, with entrained finely-divided particles of gold or other precious metal taken from the concentrating-table, is introduced through the opening 7 and whirled around between and with the cones by the blades 11 and passes down into the base 1 and out through the passages 5 into the box 17 and thence through discharge 18 to any suitable point. The centrifugal action throws the metal particles, which are heavier than the Water, outwardly against the cone 6, and they then pass down removed and fresh mercury placed in trough or recess 2. The cone 10, with lits wings or blades, insures the subjection of all of the water introduced to a large amount of centrifugal action, and the separation of the particles, no matterhow finely divided,is satisfactorily accomplished by the operation of the machine, which saves the large amounts of precious metal usually lost by entraining olf the water from concentrating-tables.

IOO

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

' l. A centrifugal ore concentrator and amalgamator, comprising a rotatable base having water-escape openings and an annular trough, an outer cone having its lower edge concentric with the trough, and provided with an inlet-opening in its upper end, an inner concentric cone supported above said base, and one or more radial wings extending across the annular space between said cones.

2.V A centrifugal ore concentrator and amalgamator,comprising airotatable base provided with a peripheral trough and having a hub containing water-escape openings, a cone having itslower edge coincident with the outer wall of the trough and provided with an inlet A the machine.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specication in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

EDMUND R. WEEK.

Witnesses:

p JEssIE M. FYFE,

B. W. WooLvERToN. 

